Proper 21, Yr C (Sept 25, 2022) The Rev. Karen C. Barfield

Proper 21, Yr C (2022)

1 Timothy 6:6-19                                                                      

Luke 16:19-31

In the name of the one, holy and living God,

in whom we live and move and have our being.  Amen.

In Paul’s letter to Timothy he says,

            “There is great gain in godliness combined with contentment;

       for we brought nothing into the world…

                        we can take nothing out of it;

                  if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.”

Contentment. 

It is something well worth pondering.

What do we need in order to be content?

As Paul reminds us,

            when we die,

       none of our stuff goes with us!

Oftentimes, when we are confronted by death,

            we have an invitation to re-order our life…

      or at least to see what anchors our contentment.

Sometimes we are caught up short when we hear of the sudden, unexpected death of a friend or colleague or loved one.

Sometimes we are caught up short when we receive a potentially terminal diagnosis.

And we begin to contemplate our life:

            what is important…

                        and what is not

      and how we live our lives in relationship to others.

In today’s gospel we hear Jesus tell such a story.

“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.   

“And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus,

covered with sores,

      who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table;

even the dogs would come and lick his sores.”

Thus begins our Gospel story.

Jesus paints a picture of a vast discrepancy between these two mens’ lives on earth.

One man has not only his every need met but also his every desire.

            The other has poor health, no food, and likely no home.

The two men then died.

The rich man received a proper burial according to his custom and privilege,

            yet the poor man was carried by angels to be with Abraham.

The rich man winds up in Hades

            while Lazarus, the poor man,

       ends up nestled in the bosom of Father Abraham.

Now, this story would absolutely fly in the face of those hearers who believed that

wealth and prosperity were signs of God’s favor.

As the rich man looks up and sees poor Lazarus at the side of Abraham,

he calls out to Abraham to send Lazarus to him with just a drop of water to quench his thirst.

Notice that the rich man knows Lazarus’ name.

Most commentaries I read suggested that the rich man did not even know that Lazarus sat begging at his gate every day, that his wealth kept him from even noticing Lazarus. 

Yet, given that the rich man called out Lazarus’ name, we know otherwise. 

He knew enough to know his name,

yet he did not share enough of his vast wealth to help him out of his situation.

Also notice how the rich man,

as he sits in agony in Hades,

still relates to Lazarus as a servant.

The rich man calls out to Abraham,

“Father Abraham, have mercy on me,

      and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue….” 

And then again a few moments later,

“Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house…

that he may warn [my brothers].”

It is astounding,

but perhaps not surprising,

      that even though Lazarus is present,

the rich man not only refers to him in the third person but also in the role of servant. 

The rich man, even after death,

 continues to dehumanize Lazarus and treat him as an object,

       as someone who is “less than.”

The great chasm that exists between the rich man and Lazarus after death

         actually had its beginning on this earth in the way the rich man dismissed Lazarus as a human being worthy of love and respect and dignity.

Now, the rich man,

seeing his current demise as a result of the way he lived his life on earth,

begs to send word to his five brothers

that they may change their ways and so avoid torment after death.  

But, like Abraham, I wonder:

Would it make any difference? 

The rich man seems to have missed the point entirely that perhaps it was his attitude toward others that sunk him.

Abraham responds,

“If [your brothers] do not listen to Moses and the prophets,

neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.”

The rich man, as well as his brothers, actually had been taught all they needed to know to live a righteous life…as Moses had taught the Israelites in the wilderness:

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. 

You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart,

and with all your soul,

and with all your might. 

       Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart.”  (Deut 6:4-6)

We hear a similar teaching in today’s letter to Timothy: 

“As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty,

or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches,

      but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment….

“[The wealthy] are to do good,

to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share…,

                        so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.”

In the Gospel Lazarus has no food, and sores are his clothing         

while the rich man feasts sumptuously and wears fine linen and purple. 

One has too much

and the other not enough. 

That is the error.

            That is the great chasm.

Since we arrive on this earth with nothing and obviously can take nothing with us (as Paul reminds us), the ways in which we are stewards of what we have in this life is of paramount importance. 

We hear over and over again that the pursuit of wealth brings with it the risk of ruin and destruction. 

Folks often think of “eternal life” as a futuristic goal,

something we get after we behave ourselves and do good in this life. 

However, the Kingdom of God already has been initiated by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and he invites us to participate in that Kingdom – now, today.

Participation in the Kingdom requires a total turning toward God:

in heart, mind, soul, and strength.

In so doing, as we see our neighbors in need, we respond.

            We do not create great chasms amongst ourselves.

That means that we are first called to “see” our neighbor, especially those who are cast aside or deemed “less than” for one reason or another: the poor, people of color, children, those who struggle with mental health, those in prison, people of other religions.

It is very easy to turn a blind eye to anyone who differs from us and makes us feel uncomfortable. 

Perhaps we dare not get too close because we may even see ourselves in them and what would that mean?

Perhaps people need to proclaim a position of “one up” in order to not feel their own pain.

It is often difficult to understand the great chasms we create and sustain in order to distance ourselves from one another.

I could not help but think of this reading when I heard of planes being chartered to send immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard! 

In my opinion, people…

human beings worthy of respect and dignity…

      were used as political pawns.

And yet, the members of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Martha’s Vineyard opened their doors and provided temporary lodging and food and clothes and phones for communication to these folks exiled from their own countries.

I fail to understand how people who are struggling cannot be seen as God’s children.

Why must we create such great chasms between us and our neighbors?

Love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength

            and love your neighbor as yourself.

Thomas Merton, in October of 1968, just minutes before his death, told a large audience of Asian monks at a Calcutta conference:

“My dear brothers, we are already one.

But we imagine that we are not.

     What we have to recover is our original unity.

What we have to be is what we are.”

(Thomas Merton, Address to International Summit of Monks, Calcutta, India (October 19-27, 1968), published in The Asian Journals of Thomas Merton (New Directions: 1975), 51.)

In God,

            in Christ,

     we are one.

We must see, acknowledge and talk about the great chasms that exist between us

            in order to bridge them…in order to demolish them.

What are the chasms that exist in our lives?

            In our communities?

According to Jesus’ story in today’s gospel,

it was too late for the rich man,

       but it is not too late for us. 

Every day we live,

we have choices as to how to live our lives,

which includes how we engage in the lives of others. 

It is no easy task to be real and honest and vulnerable,

allowing ourselves to truly see the needs of our neighbors

and to share what gifts we have:

      whether money or time or clothes

         or food or a listening heart or whatever particular gifts we have to share. 

But that is our calling.

As we gather as a community, let us encourage one another in faith…

            let us encourage one another to love the Lord our God

with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength

 and to love our neighbors as ourselves.

This is how we take hold of the life that really is life…here and now:

            We love one another.

Amen.